Before You Buy: The Best F150 Leveling Kit for 2015-2020 Models!

Lets get one thing out of the way right here and right now: there is no singular "best" leveling kit for the 2015-2020 F150s. Any leveling kit decision for the 2015-2020 F150s depends ENTIRELY on what you're doing with your specific truck, what exact ride height you want, your budget, your primary driving style, what size tire you want to clear, your climate, and whatever else. The fact of the matter is that this marketplace is so hyper-competitive that anything inherently "bad" doesn't tend to last very long (except on eBay and Amazon, which are conversations for another day). That being said, there are some specific parts that arguably work "better" than others when it comes to certain budgets and applications that we'll run through, but be extremely wary of someone who has never even been in an F150 saying a $59.99 leveling spacer kit with an Amazon affiliate link is somehow the "best" leveling kit option out there for your truck. Yes, I'm angry. Get over it.

The Best Budget F150 Leveling Kit for 2015-2020 F150s

If you're strapped for cash, things like badass coilovers are probably out of reach, but that doesn't mean there aren't some quality options to get your F150 both a level and quality in one package. In general, if you're looking for a low-cost leveling option, then you'll be looking at Spacer Leveling Kits. Spacer leveling kits are (as their name implies) spacers that install onto the top of your F150's factory coilover assemblies and provide extra ride height without doing much else. Since they're pretty basic, they aren't very expensive, but they don't do anything other than add ride height. You won't see any performance or handling improvements (though you don't usually see a negative result, either). We've installed more than a few spacer leveling kits on several of our project trucks over the years, and one of our favorite kits is the 2014-2020 F150 Auto Spring 2.5" Leveling Kit. The Auto Spring 2.5" Kit provides 2.5" of leveling which is enough to get your F150 a "dead-level" stance, and also features an offset design that throws off your F150's alignment less than other options (though you will still need toe angles adjusted). Pricing is under $150, making it arguably one of the best budget lift kit options for your 2015-2020 F150.

Best Bang-for-your-Buck F150 Leveling Kit for 2015-2020 F150s

While there's nothing inherently wrong with a spacer leveling kit, the F150s also aren't known for their stellar factory handling, and getting an upgrade over the stock struts and shocks on top of some extra leveling is definitely not a bad thing. However, if your budget still doesn't have enough wiggle-room for a set of 2.5 coilovers, then going with a set of leveled struts or a set of 2.0 coilovers will be your best bet. When it comes to leveled struts, the two main contenders are the Bilstein 5100s and the Eibach Pro-Truck Struts. Both are extremely similar both on paper and on-truck: they both level 2", they both have digressive valving, they both use a c-clip ride height system, they have similar pricing, and they both reuse a lot of the factory hardware. Having been in trucks with both, there's not a huge difference in how they ride or perform, though both are a huge improvement over the stock front strut assemblies. I will say that the Eibach rear shocks are rated for a smidge more ride height than the Bilstein 5100 rear shocks, which gives you a few more options for rear blocks or add-a-leafs, but there's also no reason why you couldn't mix and match front and rear. In the end, this is pretty much a dead-tie between the Bilstein 5100s and the Eibach Pro-Trucks. Also check out our complete Bilstein 5100 Package or our complete Eibach Pro-Truck Package that include matching rear shocks if you want a more comprehensive suspension overhaul.

While leveled struts some of the better bang-for-your-buck leveling options, if you want or need something a bit more robust for more frequent trail riding or higher-speed off-road applications, but don't want to take the plunge into 2.5s as of yet, then a set of 2.0 coilovers is probably your best bet. Complete 2.0 coilovers come with all-new springs, mounts, and hardware which makes them more durable than the stock struts and most aftermarket leveling strut assemblies. Their larger diameters, more powerful springs, and performance-oriented valving that give you bet better on-road handing and off-road performance than "lower-tier" leveling struts. 2.0 coilovers also have a bit more variability when it comes to ride height. Since most 2.0 coilovers include a threaded body that give you more ride height options than leveled struts so that you can better find the look that's perfect for your truck or lower ride height to compensate for constant weight in your F150's bed. To be honest, the Fox 2.0 Front Coilovers are the "best" 2.0 coilovers by default. We haven't tried the Eibach 2.0 Coilovers or Elka 2.0 coilovers on a truck as of yet, and while both look perfectly fine on paper, I haven't been in a truck with either installed, though we're hoping to change that at some point. We have had the Fox 2.0s on a couple of trucks, and they've been excellent. They're arguably some of the best "balanced" suspension upgrades out there for the 2015-2020 F150s. They offer a significant bump in on-road handling without being overly stiff. They give you enough off-road performance and durability to handle forest roads and medium trail riding without the price tag of 2.5 coilovers. They give you 2" of leveling so that you can squeeze on big tires without needing additional hardware. It's hard to argue against the 2.0s, and for an F150 build that needs to it all, the Fox 2.0s are a great choice.

Best Off-Road F150 Leveling Kit for 2015-2020 F150s

F150 builds that are going to see some serious off-road use and abuse (especially high-speed trail running) need a leveling kit that not only adds ride height, but one that's tough enough and provides the damping and heat dissipation your truck needs to rocket around in the dirt. Now, because of all those requirements, that typically means that you'll need to make a jump to 2.5 coilovers, and while there's some variation in 2.5s, one thing rings out pretty clearly: these things are pricey. As they say, "you have to pay to play", and if you're bombing down a powerline trail at 75mph, having something not break is typically pretty important. The good news is that we've tried more than a few 2.5 coilovers on our various project trucks over the years, including a few versions of the ICON 2.5s, the Fox 2.5s, King 2.5s, Elka 2.5s, and the Bilstein 8112s (which aren't quite a 2.5, but they're close enough). In any case, we have a ton of personal experience with 2.5s, and one thing we need to make perfectly clear is that 2.5s are pretty awesome, but they do tend to provide a pretty stiff on-road ride across the board (some worse than others), and they aren't for everyone. In general, the Fox 2.5s, Elka 2.5s, and Bilstein 8112s tend to ride a bit softer on-road than the ICON 2.5s and the King 2.5s, so if you want to preserve as much on-road ride quality as possible, Fox, Elka, or Bilstein may be the way to go. However, I'd argue that the "best" 2.5 coilover/pure off-road leveling solution out there would be the ICON 2.5 coilovers. ICON's 2.5 coilovers all feature extremely powerful coilover springs, digressive valving that's tuned for handling violent off-road impacts, and are built out of extremely durable materials that will probably hold up better than the rest of your truck's suspension components during hard off-roading. Now, ICON's lineup of 2.5s are pretty stiff on-road, but if you do want the final say in off-road handling and performance, ICON is where it's at, especially the ICON Remote Reservoir Coilovers or ICON Remote Reservoir CDCV coilovers.

As we stated at the beginning, there's really no "best" and plenty of leveling kit options not mentioned here that may or may not be an inherently better choice for your F150. These are just suggestions, and they are not comprehensive for every single possible use state for a 2015-2020 F150. What leveling kit do you consider to be the "best" (you're wrong, by the way)? Let us know below.

2015-2020 F150 Leveling Kit Options:

• 2014-2020 F150 Auto Spring 2.5" Front Leveling Kit
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD Bilstein 5100 Adjustable Height Front Shocks (Pair)
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD Eibach Pro-Truck Front 2" Leveling Struts
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD Bilstein 5100 Adjustable Leveling Shock Kit
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD Eibach Complete Pro-Truck Sport Shock & Strut Kit
• 2014-2020 F150 Fox 2.0 Front Coilovers (Pair)
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD ICON 2.5 Front Coilovers
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD ICON 2.5 Remote Reservoir Front Coilovers
• 2015-2020 F150 4WD ICON 2.5 CDCV Remote Reservoir Front Coilovers